Pursue Him

Stay Here, Stay Near

• Derrick & Kim Dsouza

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SPEAKER_05

Thank you for tuning in to Pursue Him Podcast. We are committed to serve you with the now word of God that will inspire and encourage you to be a God Jesus. Help us reach out to many by subscribing, sharing, and leaving a review for us on your favorite listening app. This is Sam, your host, and this is an excerpt from a recent word ministered by Pastor Kim. Let's dive in.

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This is your father singing to you.

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Stay here. Stay near. I wanna show you my heart. Stay here. Stay near. I wanna show you my heart. Stay here. I wanna show you my heart. Stay here.

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God in his love wanted to speak to the house of Jacob to the Israelites. And he wanted to draw near to them. But the Israelites they heard the thunder, they heard the loud sound, they heard the lightning, they saw the mountain on fire, and they missed the point. They said to Moses, Moses, it's okay, you speak to us, but don't let this God speak to us because if he speaks to us, we'll surely die. And that's when God in Deuteronomy 5 tells Moses, Oh, I wish, oh the hearts of these people, oh the hearts of these people, and he he tells Moses, let them go, let them go back to their tents. And he looks at Moses and says, Stand here with me. He tells Moses, stay here, stay here, stay near.

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Stay here.

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My broken voice, are you listening to the heart of God which wants to reach out to you? And he's telling, for some time now, forget about everybody else. Because this is the time when I want to show you my heart. Are there any Moses in the house?

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Yes.

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Hallelujah, hallelujah. I I bring the heart of God to you this morning. And I want to wish you a Merry Christmas. So tell me what does Christmas mean to you?

unknown

New beginning.

SPEAKER_01

New beginning. Think about Jesus, okay? The Christmas message that you're gonna hear today is gonna be very different. So don't worry, it's still a Christmas message. Maybe in in between I'll keep saying, Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas. So you realize that it's a Christmas message. But tell me, what did God do by sending his son Jesus? Christmas is where Jesus came down, right? What did God do by sending his son Jesus? Come on, there's no right or wrong answer. You can voice it out. What did Jesus do by coming down on this day? Close the gap. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. I want to stick with this because this is so powerful. Close the gap. That means when Jesus came, he came as an access point. There was a gap between us because of our sins. And God wanted to always draw near. And there was a gap, and and and when Jesus came, he closed the gap. Can you close your eyes and thank God for this? And Jesus by closing the gap made us one with the Father. You know, recently in my prayer time, I was talking to the Lord and I was telling the Lord, okay, Samuel, you want to uh come in? Hallelujah. So Christmas is basically closing the gap. Christmas is a proof that God wants access to your heart. And I was telling you, I was talking to the Lord, and in my prayer time, I was telling the Lord, thank you, Father. When you look at me, you see Jesus. How many of you have made that prayer? No matter how broken we are, no matter how messed up we are, when God looks at me, he sees Jesus. Right? And as I was telling the Lord this, the Lord interrupted me. And he said something to me that really blew my mind. So I was telling the Lord, Lord, when you look at me, you see Jesus. And the Lord said, Do you know when I look at Jesus I see you? When I heard that, even when I said this, hallelujah, I I I believe a sense of Lord has lifted off you. There's a huge difference, and yet there is no difference. When the Lord told me that when when I look at Jesus, I see you, I was like, no. And and and that was the point of doubt. That's when you know kind of I got trapped because I was thinking I got great faith. But when God made that statement, I couldn't believe. But that is a reality, okay? When God gave you salvation, he did not withhold anything from you. That's the level of purity you have. In spirit, you are one with Jesus. So right now with this statement, I'm slapping condemnation out from your life. Because when God looks at Jesus, who's so pure, who's so holy, who's so magnificent, he finds your face in him. Hallelujah. Close the gap. Christmas. How many of you have heard that statement? When you take a step towards God, God takes hundred steps towards you. You've heard that? You agree with it? Somehow I don't agree with it. I feel something is wrong because my Bible says that when I was yet in my sin, Jesus died for me. Which means that before even I took a single step, God carried me. Before even you took a single step, that's your God. That's your God. Before even you decided to come to him, he not just took a step towards you, but he carried you. I'm telling you, when I'm looking at you, I'm looking at the heartbeat of God. Hallelujah. And that is my testimony. You know, some of you have testimonies like you were in addiction and God pulled you out of it. Maybe you were lost in life and God showed you the way. I used to always wrestle with God and I would tell him, God, I don't have like a dhamaka testimony. And I used to feel so sad. So why don't I have like a you know a nice testimony, like a detailed one with ups, ups and downs, ups and downs, somewhat like say Pastor Derek's testimony. But isn't your God good that you don't have to go through ups and downs, ups and downs to get a testimony? And this is my testimony, Isaiah 65, 1. He revealed himself to me when I did not ask of him. That's my testimony. When when when let me read that verse, the Bible says, I revealed, this is the NIV version, okay? I revealed myself to Kim who did not ask for me. And I was found by those who did not seek me. I was never seeking God. I thought I can do everything. I was very ambitious. So God, this is my testimony. God revealed himself to me when I did not ask of him. That's why I love him. I was never searching for him, but he revealed himself to me. I was found by those who did not seek me. And to a nation who did not call on my name, I said, Here I am. I believe that is also your testimony. God revealed himself to you when you were not even seeking him. Is there any witness? And trust me, this character of God is consistent throughout the Bible. The way God is in the Old Testament is the way He is in the New Testament. Right? Because Jesus says in his word, I am the same yesterday, today, and forever. And the Lord says, I am the Lord and I do not change. That means God was always intending to close the gap. From the Old Testament to the New Testament, God's idea was to close the gap. Some of us, when we read the Old Testament, we we look at a great gap. We are thinking God, he's such a holy God, he's such an enormous God. And do you think like that? Whenever you read Old Testament, you can be honest, right? You feel God is like He's kind of increasing the gap. And then Jesus had to come to close the gap. Deuteronomy 4, 7. From this is where I believe comes his nearness, is our greatness. For what great nation is there that has God so near to it? As the Lord our God is for us, to us. What great nation is there? Who is that God who is so near? Like our God, and that makes you great. It's the nearness of this kind of God that makes you great. For what great nation is there that has God so near? He's always closing the gap. This is Old Testament. So near to it as the Lord our God is to us for whatever reason we may be. For specific reasons, for holy reasons.

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Whatever reason.

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Whatever. Oh, hallelujah. Whatever reason. You don't get milk on time in your house. You have a God who is accessible. You fell down and you scraped your knee. You have a God who is so near. You are hurting and you're crying at home and wondering nobody's there to hear you. You have a God who is so near. Hallelujah. Listen, I don't want you to miss a single line, okay? Because what is going to happen is all the lies of the enemy will fall. When I said this statement, I saw somebody crying at home and saying, Nobody understands me. There is nobody who's with me. Okay, that lie breaks down now. You know, I'll tell you something funny. Um, recently, Olim Mummy did her cataract operation in one eye, and after that, she's become very dangerous in the house because she's seeing everything clearly. She put a lavender color wristband was there on her hand when she went for the operation, and she came back and she's saying, This is lavender. So we're like, It was lavender, no, it was pink. How has it become lavender? What has happened? The band was always lavender, but her vision was blocked. Now, when that issue was, you know, uh pulled out from an that issue was um uh uh that cataract was removed from her eye, that issue was resolved. Okay, now I got it. Merry Christmas, yeah, Vic? When that issue was resolved, she began to see reality. Right? Today morning she got up. Now we are very scared of her because she's seeing everything. Today morning she got up and she's in the kitchen and she's taken her photo frame and she's wiping it, and she's like, There's so much dust on my photo, and nobody is even looking at it. And imagine this is happening with one eye. She's she's got the next rectification of her eye happening on Monday, so we don't know where to run. But did you get what I'm trying to tell you? Sometimes the band that you're wearing in your hand is lavender, but because there's a lens over your eye, because there's a filter over your eye, you are seeing it different. The God that you serve is a good God. He is good and there's nothing, nothing. I'm telling you, you know, sometimes when we do things, we do things out of motive, right? You know, many times there's a hidden motive. So when we talk to people, you know, they kind of understand the outside motive, but we know in our heart that there is a hidden motive. Can I tell you, God has a hidden motive for you? His hidden motive is to bless you. That's his hidden motive. No matter what happens in your life, remember there's a God who's standing behind you with a hidden motive. And that motive is to prosper you. That motive is to make sure that your head is high and the enemy's head is low. So the band was always lavender. God was always good. That's why you need to come to the church every Sunday. You have to be in the house of God because this is when the word gets released, and all that cataract that is blocking your spirit gets removed. Amen. So, what are we talking about? We are talking about a God who is interested in closing the gap, and you can come to him for whatever reason, for whatever reason. And this is, I told you, this is in the Old Testament. So God has never changed. God's heart was always to come close to you. And do you know what a great difference it is when you have somebody in the power of God near to you? You become dangerous. You become dangerous for the enemy. When you have this omnipotent God who is near you for whatever reason you call. Right now, more scales are dropping off. Neberon dombosikiyan daborale hemesende. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. You know, I want you to read Exodus chapter 19, verse 5 to 6. This is the time when God, every time God wanted to speak to Moses, God would call Moses up on the mountain. And he would show his heart to Moses. So there is this time when God calls Moses up on the mountain, and he tells Moses, this is after the Israelites are out from Egypt. Okay? God tells Moses, listen, go and tell my people, go and tell the house of Jacob, Israelites, that I have carried them on eagle's wings, and I want to make a covenant with them. So read what God is telling Moses.

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Exodus 19, verse 5. Now, therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice.

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You can read maybe from verse 4.

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Verse 4, you have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagle's wings and brought you to myself. Now, therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to me above all people, for all earth is mine, and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.

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Have you heard of that scripture in Peter?

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Yes.

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Which talks about God calling us a special people? A holy nation. When that's why I'm telling you, when God looks at Jesus, he sees you. And this is the Old Testament, and God is telling them, talk to my children and tell them that if you obey my voice, because that is for your benefit, for the benefit of you and your children, if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be a special treasure to me above all people. And you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Has God's language changed?

unknown

No.

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He said that in the New Testament, which we quote often. Do you see God saying that in the Old Testament?

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Yes.

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So what was God's idea? Always to close the gap. And when God said this to Moses, God told him, Go now, go to my people and tell them this. And when the people heard this, they were like, Okay, we are going to obey God. So Moses takes that message and comes back to God. And look at what God said to Moses in Exodus 19:9.

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Verse 9. And the Lord said to Moses, Behold, I come to you in the thick cloud that the people may hear when I speak with you and believe you forever.

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Okay. Did you read that?

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Yes.

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Did you read it carefully? Because this scripture holds a key that our man of God has been giving to us. What was the word last time about? So this is God saying, can you read again now slowly?

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And the Lord said to Moses, Behold, I So okay, now listen.

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God is planning something with Moses. God is saying, get all the people. And what I'm going to do, Moses, is I will come to you in thick cloud. When there is a cloud, that is the time I will come to you and that the people may hear when I speak with you. Wow. God is saying the people need to hear when I speak with you. It doesn't end there. God is saying, get all these people because I'm going to show them some great stuff happening. There's going to be thunder, there's going to be a cloud coming down. And from that, I want the people to hear me.

unknown

Wow.

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And what?

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And believe you forever.

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And believe me forever.

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Believe you forever.

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God is saying, I want you to come. Okay, Abhi. I want you to come close to me. And I'm I'm in the presence of all these people. I'm going to speak to you. And I want the people to hear me speak with you, not hear me speak. And believe, not me. Can you imagine? God is showing everything and He's saying, Normally, what will God say? When they see this, they'll believe me. God is saying, I want them to believe you forever. Another version says, The Lord said to Moses, I'm going to come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear me speaking with you and will always put their trust in you. Can I tell you this is the manner of God? This is this has always been the manner of God where in every generation God finds a crazy person who's seeking Him, who's hungering for His presence, and what God does is He catches hold of that person, and He's saying to the people, if you hear Him, you will end up hearing me. If you are walking in a line, and if you walk behind this person, you will end up following me. That's the principle of alignment. And that is God elevating somebody in honor. Okay? And that is your breakthrough when you align with that somebody. That somebody is not perfect, but that somebody is genuinely pursuing God. And God is saying, I will come to you. I want them to see and hear me speak to you so that they believe in you forever. Okay. You have heard of the water cycle when you were in school. Water is there, it dries up, goes up, becomes cloud, comes down. And this keeps going on. Today I'm going to teach you the honor cycle. Okay. You see, it starts with God. Did you see alignment happening here? So, what has happened with the people so far? They have seen God do mighty things. Okay? What did God do while bringing the Israelites out of Egypt? Tell me, what are the He did the ten plagues, he parted the Red Sea, everything they have seen God do through Moses, right? Yet can you sense the heart of the people is so hardened that they do not yet believe Moses? So you can be in a journey with somebody, you can be in a journey with a church, and yet you may be off-aligned. And this is where God is reminding you to come into alignment. Be a part of that honor cycle. And I'm going to show you how this cycle goes up, down, up, down, and it keeps working, it keeps creating blessings. And these people, they have seen the mighty acts of God, but they do not yet know the heart of God. So, what is God trying to tell them that listen, so far you have seen me work wonderfully, you have seen me do mighty acts, but this is the time when I want to encounter your heart. This is a time when I want to make a covenant with you. I want to show you my heart. I want to show you the way I work. But when the people came close to the mountain, what happened? They saw the mountain lit up on fire, they saw the thunder, they heard the thunder and the lightning, and they ran to Moses and told him, You speak to us, and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die. You know, there was one lady who told me once, I get scared to come close to God. Because she's saying every time I make an effort to come close to this God, and I try to spend time in the word and in prayer, something bad happens. So right now I'm breaking that lie from your head. God is a good God. His proximity to you will bring life to you because the Bible says, Jesus says, I am the way, the truth, and the life. If there is anything connected to life and abundance, it is in the arms of the Father. But what kind of lie this is, listen, okay, listen, don't get distracted by kids. You're missing something very important. This is the Lord telling you, stay here, stay near. I want to show you my heart. Pray in tongues. Robo Siki and Deberanda. Can I request the mothers if the children are making a lot of noise, you can take them out because they need your attention, they need your love, calm them down, and then you can bring them back. Are you there? So, what kind of lie this is that the enemy is telling to you that when you draw close to God, something bad happens. When you go far from God, something bad happens. That could be true because you see, when the prodigal son he went far from the father, what happened to him? He began losing everything. So don't, that's why you need to know the heart of God. And that's where you see these people, they didn't understand the heart of God. They were vocal and bold enough to say that don't let God speak to us. Has that lie broken from your life? That's a lie, that's a lie. The enemy hates it when you go close to God. And that's where you need to take the shield of faith and stand and not get boggled by what you see. You see thunder, he'll he'll show magic, he'll show thunder, he'll uh throw storms in your life. That's the time. As a child of God, you need to stand up and stay strong. And tell the enemy, I am not moving away from my father. I'm not stopping going to the church. In fact, this should motivate me to go to the church even more often. Amen. So this was the response of these people. They said, You don't speak to us, God, let let Moses speak to us. Because it's easy to fake it to Moses. When I was reading this, I was like, God, you also now you showed all the thunder and all the lightning. The people got scared, and that's why maybe they said, you know, you don't speak. But can you read something deeper? Lord, you don't speak, let him speak. Because it is easy for us to manipulate him. Get into alignment. Okay, get into alignment. Every one of us, we have to be aligned. Because in staying in that alignment is our blessing. In staying in that when I'm saying alignment, what do you understand? Oneness. One with the word. Oneness. Not keeping offense in your heart. Not keeping unforgiveness in your heart. Hallelujah. I break the power of offense right now from your life. Any, any offense, and even the fleeting thought of it that is blocking your breakthrough, I remove that filter from your eyes so that you may see clearly the manner in which God functions. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. You know, when Moses heard this, Moses went to explain to these Israelites. He said, Hey, listen, do not be afraid. God has come to test you. So that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sin. Moses is telling them, it's it's the fear of God. Do you know? Many of us come to church out of fear. Many of us do things in our Christian life out of fear. And I see that life falling down right now. Because the word of God says perfect love casts out every fear. So if you do things that are connected to God and there's fear in it, when you do things even for your man or woman of God, and there's fear associated with it, that's not God. That means you don't yet know your God. You are not perfected in his love. Never do things out of fear. Okay? Never do things out of fear. Never do things because you have been doing them for some time and then suddenly you feel guilty in the house of God. I've not been doing it. I hear the Lord speaking to me, okay? And I'm ministering as the Lord is speaking. Never do things out of fear. The moment you see that happening in your life, run back to the word of God and know God more. Because that's the opposite of fear. That's the way you kick that fear out of your life. You perfect yourself in that love. You settle down in that love. You know that you don't have to perform before your man or woman of God. You don't have to perform before God. He's not the one who is sitting every Sunday with the calculator and looking at how much you're putting. Let that fear lose grip from your life, especially in the area of giving. Listen, when you hear something being shared from the word here, it is to build you. And you, as much as we want you to grow, when you don't have understanding of something, grow at your pace. Never be rushed into doing things because of fear. Are you getting it? Because when you do something for God, it has to be out of genuine love for God. Not because somebody said this to you, not because your neighbor is doing something. Hallelujah. So it was God's desire, and and then God ends up saying in Deuteronomy 5.29, oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear me and always keep my commands. You know, fearing God is what is fearing God? Fearing God is like my father says, loving him so much that you don't want to break his heart. That's fearing God. Can I give you an example? I think I noted that scripture down. Can you find that scripture which talks about Solomon and he loved God like his father David, and then the same scripture it talks about what all the things he did.

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Prophet in 1 Kings 3, 3, and Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of his father David, except that he sacrificed and burned incense at high places.

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Ah, this is a perfect example of having a love for God and a fear of him. Okay, when I'm talking about fear here, I'm talking about reverence, not Hindi wala dar, like how the Israelites were so scared to come before God. This is the difference between loving God and fearing God. Okay, now this is a scripture that will solve the problem for many of you. Because everybody loves God, trust me. We all love God, right? Then what is the problem? We love God, yet why some of us are so happy to be settled in lukewarmness? Why are we okay with mediocrity? Why are we okay with compromise? We all love God, right? What is the problem then? Problem is fear. We love God. That's why when Jesus went to Peter and he said, Do you love me? This is answering many of your questions. Do you love me? Peter said, Yes, I love you. Do you love me? Yes, I love you. Do you love me more than these? That's the fear of God. Fear of God is loving God so much that choosing Him above everything else. That's the definition of fear of God. You love God so much, everybody loves God. But you have to come to a point where you have a fear of God, and that is you love God, but you love God more than this. You love God, but because you love God so much, you don't want to touch pornography. Yes, you love God, but now your love has risen to such a level that now you don't want to get involved in gossip because you are keeping that love above gossip. And that was the problem with Solomon's. Solomon loved God like his father David, but he didn't have a fear of God. That's why he could love God and yet mess up in his life by worshiping idols and creating temples. Did you get the difference? Now you look at your life and check your love meter. Is it okay? Check your fear of God meter. Is it okay? The fear of the Lord has to rise. Loving God is not enough, but loving God more than these. Because the blessings, the Bible says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Can you read Psalm 128? It talks about the blessings that a man who fears the Lord has, not a man who loves the Lord.

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Yeah. Psalms 128, verse 1. Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways. When you eat the labor of your hands, you shall be happy.

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So it talks about blessed is the one who fears the Lord. What will happen to him when he eats the labor of his hand? Whatever work he puts his hand to, there's a labor that is going in. He will eat the labor of his hand, and that labor will not be hand to mouth. It will make him happy. So I'm guessing there's an abundance here.

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Amen.

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Next.

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When you eat the labor of your hands, you shall be happy and it shall be well with you.

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It shall be well with you, irrespective of what is not well around you.

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Amen. Verse 3.

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Your wife shall be like a fruitful wine. You shall have a wife. You shall have all that you desire for your future.

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And in the very heart of your house, your children.

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This is not talking about your wife or your spouse creating trouble in the house. In the heart of your house, your wife or your spouse, this shall be like a fruitful wine, not just wine, but bearing fruit. And it doesn't talk about any season here. So there's it doesn't matter which season it is.

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Wow.

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There will be fruitfulness in your house, right in the center of your house, at the heart of your house.

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Amen. Your children like olive plants all around your table.

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Olive plants, if you do some search on olive plants, you you look at an olive tree, it starts growing shoots from anywhere. Even if the you know the lower part of the stem that talks about longevity. It doesn't stop growing. There, there have been cases where people looked at an olive tree and thought it was dead. And then suddenly it started sprouting from on top. There'll be no dead end for your life. In any area, you shall never reach a dead end. You shall never keep any job incomplete or half complete. Whatever you touch, whatever course you do, whatever job you take, whatever you take up, you will finish it. All around your table. What else?

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Verse 4. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord.

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Who loves the Lord?

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Who fears the Lord.

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No, who fears the Lord. Who fears the Lord. And that's why, did you understand the difference between loving God, which we all do, and fearing God, which some of us choose to do? This is what we heard, right, in the morning? Choosing. Making a choice, making a decision. And that blessing is with somebody who fears the Lord. So, did you understand from that scripture about Solomon? The difference between loving God and having the fear of God? Now coming back to closing the gap. How many of you feel in the Old Testament God was like very rigid? I mean, imagine this. If if somebody had to meet God, it was crazy. Out of two, three million Israelites, only one person is allowed to meet God. Only one person. That is who? Any person? Who? Not prophet. Who was the person who was allowed to meet God in the tabernacle? Merry Christmas! High priest, right? Only the high priest was allowed entry to be close to the presence of God. There were people who were allowed in the outer courts. There were people who were allowed in the holy place. Some priests were allowed to do certain jobs, but to reach the most holy place, only one person was allowed. And that too only once a year. And what kind of God is this? How inaccessible he is, right? Not fair, right? What if I give you a different perspective? What if I tell you that this God is so good, so loving, and so interested in closing the gap that when the people said we don't want you, we don't want you to speak, we don't want you in our midst, he's saying, take this chance, no, at least once, once a year. Can I come and help you out? Are you seeing God from a different perspective? Because these people, they said we don't want God in our midst. God is saying, okay, okay, your these people have a hard heart. I am withdrawing. But can I come once? Once, please? Once a year. Can I connect to somebody and then make sure that your sins are forgiven and that your sins are paid for? Now tell me, is this God an inaccessible God? Are you thinking? So again, okay, what are the conditions to get close to God according to the rules of the tabernacle? Do you know the Bible takes five chapters where God is explaining the details of the tabernacle? Where he is this tabernacle was basically a piece of heaven on earth. And every part of this tabernacle was planned to the detail. It was so detailed, it was so laboriously planned. You're aware of it? Everything, there was a system, there was a procedure. All the articles that were in this holy place and the most holy place in the tabernacle were made of gold. The wood that was used was not any kind of wood, acacia wood. There was silver. The curtains, tell me, you tell me, okay. You tell me what was the certain specifics in this temple. The threads. What was different about the threads? Could it be any kind of curtain? Scarlet, what was that? You can look at your phones, okay? And give me some ten things. Okay. On the curtain.

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Did you hear that? Okay, you tell the golden uh thread and that other color thread has to be woven together. And that pomegranate and there is to be alternate. One is pomegranate and the other one is another fruit. So it has to be alternate.

SPEAKER_01

Very specific, no, not cannot put banana fruit there, shape there, no. Okay, what else? Tell me, come on. Ten quick things.

SPEAKER_05

Fine linen.

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Fine linen for what?

SPEAKER_05

So a veil of fine linen.

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You can use chat GPT, okay? Only for 10 seconds.

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Uh you shall make a veil of woven of blue, purple, and scarlet thread and fine woven linen. It shall be with an artistic design of Cherubim.

SPEAKER_01

Oof. Did you hear that? You did a design no on Tabernacle. Come on, I want to hear from you. You have to talk loudly, okay? So everybody can hear. Correct. Correct. So you can't just straight go into the presence of God. There has to be a three separate rooms, probably, and you have to cross cross through them and then you reach God. What else? Come on, quickly.

SPEAKER_05

Four pillars of acacia wood overlay them with gold.

SPEAKER_01

Pillars are made of acacia wood and then they are laid with gold. What else?

unknown

Located in the outer altar.

SPEAKER_00

It was a bronze altar. It was the first of the amen.

SPEAKER_01

What else? Everything was made of gold. No other precious metal allowed. What else?

unknown

Separated the holy place from the most holy person.

SPEAKER_01

Yes, you agree? You agree? Now this is we are just talking about the temple. Were there rules for the priest? Can you give me some rules?

unknown

Before entering the hand.

SPEAKER_01

Okay, so they cannot just enter, they have to cleanse. They have to be part of that cleansing process. What else? You have to wear specific garments. Yeah, you did something on the garment. Yeah. So can they go just with the head uncovered? There has to be a golden turban. What else? Wow, wow. Did you see the details? Do you see the details how specific God is? Can I tell you something? Does this make you feel or make God sound like inaccessible? No. Please be frank, okay? Generally. Somebody you want to meet up with God, and God is saying this is these are the rules. Tak tuk tuk tuk iska iska. Can you be honest? Yeah? And the rules are many, right? Now, what if I tell you that my God is forever accessible? What if I tell you, or rather, what if I show you a passage in the Bible? Are you ready?

unknown

Yes.

SPEAKER_01

In the Bible, in the Old Testament, where God broke every single rule of this. Can I show? Would you be interested?

unknown

Yes.

SPEAKER_01

Where God meets up with a person and he breaks every single rule. Okay. And I'm not going to go to Abraham, Noah. I'm going to talk about Moses. So it's in the book of Exodus. I want you to read Amplified Version if you can. Exodus chapter 33. You can put this up. Exodus chapter 33, verse 7 to 11. Please don't miss this, okay? This is the honor cycle. I'm showing you how it is so beautiful that how God is so interested in closing the gap with you.

SPEAKER_05

Exodus 33.

SPEAKER_01

Wait, everybody's there? Amplified Bible, Exodus 33, 7. So let me just give you a brief, okay? God has given instructions for the tabernacle to Moses. And these instructions God has given just before. Before this scripture. Okay? God has specified to Moses, this is how I want everything to work out. And just as God specified this in five chapters elaborately, he comes to Exodus chapter 33, and I want you to read and look intently at what Moses did and what was God's response. So when God is talking now, or when whatever Moses is doing, there's no tabernacle. Does this cut out the holiness of God? God is still holy, right?

unknown

Yes.

SPEAKER_01

You awake?

SPEAKER_04

Yes.

SPEAKER_01

God is still holy. And what is his desire, I told you, to close the gap. Okay? And I'm proving it to you, your father. I'm showing you the heart of your God. Okay? Look at what Moses does.

SPEAKER_05

Exodus 33, verse 7. Now Moses used to take his own tent and pitch it outside the camp.

SPEAKER_01

One minute, one minute, one minute. What is Moses taking?

SPEAKER_05

His own tent.

SPEAKER_01

His own tent. So if there is a chair, you can. Now, whatever Moses is doing, did God call him? Where would God call him every time God wanted to meet Moses? On the mountain. On the mountain, right? Now Moses wants to talk to God. So Moses is the decision maker I see in this. Wow. This is your God. Moses wants to talk to God, and how does he do it? He takes his own tent. So if this is his tent, this is his tent means. Does the Bible say it is his tent?

SPEAKER_05

Yes. His own tent.

SPEAKER_01

His own tent means he has slept in the tent. He has done everything, all his personal things. Whatever he could do, he's relaxed, he's this tent is basically dirty, right? Or let's not say dirty. Can I say second hand? So Moses now takes his second hand tent and he pitches it outside the camp.

SPEAKER_05

So now Moses used to take his own tent and pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting of God with his own people.

SPEAKER_01

What? Moses has taken his secondhand tent at his own decision, okay? At whatever time he wants, whatever day he chooses, he takes off his tent, pitches it outside, and he calls it tent of meeting. And this is not Moses' tent of meeting. This is not Joshua's tent of meeting. He's saying tent, this is tent of meeting of God and people. Wow. Look at the faith of Moses. Look at the audacity of Moses. That he takes his second hand tent and he says, This is where I decide how this God will meet me. Is that Moses' tent of meeting?

SPEAKER_05

Tent of meeting of God with his own people.

SPEAKER_01

With his own people. I have two, three billion million people with me. I call this place tent of meeting. And this is where God, you're going to meet with people. What else? And listen. Okay, let me come back to that later.

SPEAKER_05

And and everyone who sought the Lord went out went out to that temporary tent of meeting which was outside the camp.

SPEAKER_01

Who could go to this tent of meeting?

SPEAKER_05

Everyone who sought the everyone!

SPEAKER_01

Everyone! Was it only for the high priest?

unknown

No.

SPEAKER_01

Was it only for the priest and the Levites? Was it only for the head of tribes? Everyone. When you say everyone, does that include an elderly person? Does that include an unclean person? Does that include a sick person? Does that include a child? Everyone who sought the Lord, what was the condition? You need to seek God. You need to be hungry to meet this God. If this condition is met, you can't get it. You need to seek God. That is your underlying motive, then you are okay to enter this tent.

SPEAKER_05

Wow.

SPEAKER_01

You are okay to enter this tent, that I can understand. But God is okay to enter the tent. Everyone who sought the Lord would go out to this tent of meeting that was outside the camp. This is your God. This is your God of access. This is your God who is okay to come down. You you talked about tabernacle, right? You talked about so many things, so many details. And yet, this is your God that is okay to come in a second-hand tent. At not even his decision, not when the cloud comes. No, when Moses declares this is the tent of meeting, everybody has access to it. And I like how the word starts, this scripture. Moses used to take his own tent. It was not a one-time thing.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

He used to take this tent. It was a routine for him. It was not a specific day of Yom Kippur. It was not a specific Sabbath day. He used to take this tent. Can you see the heart of God? Can I give you a secret? Okay, use this, this will work for you. You have something in your life and you set it apart for God, you will invite the hand of God over it. This is what happened, right? Moses had this tent, and what did he do? He took that tent, and look at the honor that is playing in him. He took that tent out of the camp and he pitched it there. Now it was not his tent. He set that tent apart for God. And what happened? The Bible says the cloud of his presence came. If you have time, okay, whatever now there has to be a sacrifice. It's not that you are giving Chindi stuff to God. Okay? Can you imagine how difficult it must be for Moses to kind of dismantle the tent and carry it on his own outside? Maybe all his things were inside the tent. And if he's taking the tent, he has to remove everything out. Everything is exposed. To the level that people can laugh at him. But Moses was okay with that. That is called as setting apart. Where there is a sacrifice involved. You know, yesterday, as I was preparing for the word, there were so many things happening, just as every wife and mother will know. There's so many things. We are very good in multitasking. And dad just came and he told me, why don't you go to the upper room and pray? I like, really? I can do that? Because in my mind, I'm like, oh god, you know, some of us team members are coordinating with me, have to pay bills, I have to make sure Jeremiah and Amyra are ready for tuition. Then I have to do some coordination with somebody else. And I was like, how do I do it? And he was like, Yeah, just go. And I had to leave whatever I was doing. That surrender. That surrender. I just took a bag, I put my Bible, I put my iPad, and I walked out. And when I reached the upper room, there was no phone. I was checking. I said, God, this is your doing, and it is marvelous. Because I was like, I'll put some music, everything was cut off. Like, and and as I was leaving, I was Amira was almost jumping on me. Mama, can I also come? I'll be in the other room. And I was almost gonna say, okay, like, no, you you stay here. Jeremiah, Mama, I have to practice something. I'll I'll also come. I had to cut out everything. That's when I also realized how much a man of God sacrifices. You know, there was a time and season in our life when we didn't have this additional flat. And I would remember how, you know, there's so much commotion happening in the house, and I would remember how Pastor Derek would like, where do I go? I want to talk to God. Just at that point where he's hearing God, we jump in. You know how distractive it is. And I remember he used to go and sit in gardens, or we we had this car, he would sit in the car, put AC. And we knew the value of setting ourselves apart. We understood the value. But sometimes when when we get things, we take it for granted. Now it becomes okay. But I'm telling you that one hour, I said okay, I have one hour before I have to uh rush them and prepare them for their classes. That one hour, God spoke to me so much. So much. Can you imagine when you set your time apart? When you set your finances apart for God, and say, God, this is for you. It's okay. Everybody is looking at my cutlipotly and laughing, it's okay. But I am taking this tent out and I'm pitching it out. Because when you do that, when you set apart, in this manner, I'm telling you, it is impossible to resist the hand of God. God's hand has to come. That is his principle. It his hand has to come. But remember, Moses used to do it. It was not like a one-time thing. I'm sure there must be, I I don't even know the details of this. Like every time he did this, did God come? I'm sure God came. Because look at this, this is an act of faith. Okay, that's a better way to put it. When you set apart, there has to be some faith involved in it. It not it's it cannot be like a routine thing that you're doing. When you tell me you are struggling for time, I'm telling you, you set apart a certain time for God, the best time. And you see how God will multiply resources in your life and you'll be able to finish all your work. Try setting apart, mothers, try setting apart your children for God. I don't know how you do it, it's to your personal revelation, it's according to your faith. That's what Hannah did, right? Hannah said, God, if you give me this child, this child is going to be set apart for you. And Samuel became the greatest prophet that Israel saw. So I'm telling you, set apart, okay? The areas of your life that you know you are struggling, you want an interference of God in those lives. Try setting things apart in that domain. Try doing that, okay. Now what happened? Whenever, can you read verse 8?

SPEAKER_05

When Moses went out to the tent of meeting, all the people rose and stood, every man at his tent door, and looked after Moses until he had gone into the tent.

SPEAKER_01

Looked at Moses until he entered the tent. This tells me that Moses was not pitching his tent very far off far off. Because at the place where he was pitching the tent, the people could see.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Right? And this is the sad part. Whenever Moses went out to the tent, what would the people do? All the people would rise and stand. But where?

SPEAKER_05

Every man at his tent door.

SPEAKER_01

At their tent door. They loved God. They stood up and they rose. But they didn't fear God. Why? Because they never left their tent. Everything that Moses was doing was in front of everybody. There were so many people. Imagine, kitne sareilok te. They all could see Moses. And koi bi essa meyita jose. They all stood. They all worshiped God. They all came to church. And they said it's okay. To seek God. No, it is a pastor's job. Oh, my wife is full of faith. To seek God, it's okay. She's doing it now. Why I have to do it? And you are holding on to your own tent. You know, the tent is symbolic of your life. Search for a scripture. I think in Corinthians it talks about this temporary tent. Right? The tent is your life. So, what were those people doing? They were not willing to surrender. They wanted to see the miracles that God would do in that tent, but on the other hand, they were holding on to their tent. They stood in reverence and praised God in reverence, but they did not have a tent. That's dishonor. Dishonor breaks the cycle of God's presence. Dishonor breaks the cycle of his blessings over your life.

SPEAKER_05

Prophetess, I have it here. 2 Corinthians 5, 1. For we know that our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed. We have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heaven. This tent.

SPEAKER_01

So you see, tent is your life. What were they doing? They were holding on to their tent. They were holding on to their desires. They were holding on to their compromise. But they were not willing to leave their tent and pursue God. Verse number nine.

SPEAKER_05

When Moses entered.

SPEAKER_01

Did it one minute? Did it so far solve the problem of God's heart for you? Is he accessible? Can you see what he did? Verse number nine.

SPEAKER_05

When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the door of the tent, and the Lord would talk with Moses.

SPEAKER_01

Wow. This is what happens when you set something apart for God. God's presence has to come. If God's presence is coming, solutions will have to come. If you are wondering, if you are at a decision point in your life and you're wondering, should I take left or right? With God's presence, solutions have to come. Do you know when God spoke about Moses? You can read that scripture. God says, Moses is unlike the other prophets. Because others see a form of me, but with this guy I talk face to face. Did you see the honor cycle in work? God honoring Moses, Moses honoring God. Can you imagine at when Moses steps in, God leaves his throne and comes into his second hand tent?

SPEAKER_05

Prophet, it's in Numbers 12, verse, I'll read from 6 onwards. Then he said, Hear now my words. If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord make myself known to him in a vision. I speak to him in a dream, not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house. I speak with him face to face.

SPEAKER_01

And what was the key? I told you last time the little things that you do, they can usher God's presence in your life. And look at what Moses used to do. He used to pitch his tent out for God. So whenever Moses entered the tent, okay, this solves the issue. Whenever Moses pitched his tent out, and whenever he entered the tent, what would happen?

SPEAKER_05

The pillar of the cloud would descend and stand at the door of the tent.

SPEAKER_01

God is a rewarder of those who seek him diligently. He is a rewarder of faith. Can you imagine Moses knowing the kind of God that he is still ready to take a risk? I think that was a risk. No, that was faith. That was faith. And God rewarded his faith. And verse number 10, what happened?

SPEAKER_05

And all the people saw the pillar of cloud stand at the tent door, and all the people rose up and worshipped every man at his tent door. Did you see that?

SPEAKER_01

They are worshipping, they are standing, they are worshipping, they are not sleeping, they have not gone back. They are looking at Moses. Where are their eyes? On Moses. They are looking at Moses. The moment they see Moses puts his feet, the cloud comes and they start worshiping. This is the regular church going people, which we are not.

SPEAKER_05

Amen.

SPEAKER_01

Which we are not. Because you can't be in two boats. You can't live two lives. It's either Yahweh or Yahweh. There's no other way. The reason why certain breakthroughs you have not seen in your life is because not that you're not worshipping God, but you're not still letting go of the tent door. Because that requires an effort. That requires you moving out of that compromised life. That requires you to put the faith in Moses, in your leader. Right? Hallelujah. And so, verse number 11.

SPEAKER_05

And the Lord spoke to Moses face to face as a man speaks to his friend.

SPEAKER_01

Wow. This was Moses' reward. God would speak to him. Can you imagine? This tent was made for everybody who wanted to seek the Lord. Yet this tent only had Moses. Only had Moses. Is God speaking?

SPEAKER_04

Yes.

SPEAKER_01

Go on.

SPEAKER_05

And the Lord spoke to Moses face to face as a man speaks to his friend. Moses returned to the camp.

SPEAKER_01

When Moses. When Moses.

SPEAKER_05

Moses.

SPEAKER_01

Is this the amplified?

SPEAKER_05

This is the amplified.

SPEAKER_01

Okay.

SPEAKER_05

Moses returned to the camp, but his miner Joshua, son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the temporary prayer tent.

SPEAKER_01

Wow. So there was somebody smart. There was somebody smart who decided to start his journey by sewing honor. And how did he do that? He saw Moses going. He he maybe he doesn't understand what's going to happen, but I'm going to chase my Moses anyway. I want to be behind my Moses anyway. I don't know what he is doing. He's removed all his cartlipotli, he's doing something, he's not even asking for anybody's help. What is happening? Everybody is making fun of this Moses. And now suddenly it's afternoon time. Everybody's sleeping, and look at where he's going, he's taking his tent out. What is happening? Yet I will follow this Moses. I may not understand much, yet I will follow this Moses. Do you know something? Joshua, his eyes, as much as were on Moses, they were on God. Can I prove it to you? And that's how it should always be. Okay? Are you getting it? Moses' eyes, Moses is walking to the tent of meeting. Where is Joshua's eyes? On? Joshua's eyes is on Moses. How you know this? Because he's following him, right? And there comes a point where Moses disappears. Now Joshua cannot see Moses. And this is where you know his eyes were never on Moses. Because Moses, after he finished his conversation with God, he walked away from the tent. But Joshua was busy worshiping. Did you see that? What about the other Israelites? Their eyes were on Moses. When Moses, his feet touched the tent of meeting, they began worshipping. So their worship was led by kind of Moses, right? But look at Joshua. I can almost picture, you know, Moses. Can you imagine? Joshua doesn't even know what is happening inside. Because he doesn't have access to what is happening inside. But he is saying, hey, listen, I'm here not for Moses. I'm here, okay. I I want to be in alignment with alignment with Moses, but there's a bigger picture. I'm here for this God that Moses serves. That's why Moses can walk out from the tent and Joshua is still there. Can you imagine? I can almost imagine, you know, the tent. Moses. Moses, I don't know whether he knows Joshua is following him. But he has finished his conversation with God and he's exiting the tent and he sees a Joshua who's lost. And he's like, okay, okay. And he walks past. Joshua's eyes were on God. He he was not waiting for an invitation to come inside. Irrespective. He didn't hold offense. So many days I've been following Moses. What is happening? Wherever he is, his his heart is so aligned to God. Amen.

SPEAKER_05

Amen.

SPEAKER_01

And I want to encourage you. There have been, may have been seasons when you spend your time in worship. And spend your time in fellowship with God, and you will feel like nothing is happening. Nothing is happening. I can't feel anything. Can I encourage you by saying this that that's your sowing season? When you're sowing in fellowship with God, there has to be a harvest that will come. Never let the enemy fool you by telling you that it's a waste of time. Nothing productive happened. That's the lie of the enemy. Keep doing what you're doing. Look at Joshua. He didn't see any results. You know, every time Moses went into the tent and he came out, all the miracles were done by Moses. Joshua. He was just standing there. I mean, he was just there. He didn't do anything. Everything was done by Moses. Joshua didn't even know that he is going to lead in place of Moses in the years to come. But that's God's style of honor. That water cycle, that honor cycle, what you're sowing into the kingdom of God, that honor has to come. And there has to be a chapter written about you just as it was written about Joshua. It says there hasn't been a day like this where God heard Joshua. But there had To come a day when Joshua said, Son, stand still. And that chapter, I think, ends with the verse, there has never been a day like this when God listened to a man.

SPEAKER_05

Yes, Prophet, it says in Joshua chapter 10, uh, verse 14, and there has been no day like that, before it or after it, that the Lord heeded the voice of a man, for the Lord fought for Israel.

SPEAKER_01

Before it? After it. And you saw where it was linked to? Can I tell you something? When when I was reading this passage, you know, this particular passage ends with what verse? Only that passage.

SPEAKER_05

Verse 15.

SPEAKER_01

Uh then Joshua returned, and uh mommy talking about the And he read he would return, that is verse 11.

SPEAKER_05

Okay. And the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, and as man speaks to his friend, Moses returned to the camp, but his minister, Joshua, son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the temporary prayer tent.

SPEAKER_01

So this is how the passage ends, right? After the meeting is over, Moses has departed from the tent. And this passage ends by saying, Joshua did not depart from his tent.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

When I was reading this, I heard the Lord speak to me. You know, you are you interested?

SPEAKER_04

Yes.

SPEAKER_01

God said, This is not the way how this passage ends. You want to know how it ends? Do you know who wrote the book of Exodus? Moses, right? So Moses is the guy who's writing the book, and his this scripture ends here for Moses. Why? Because Moses has come out of the tent, he's seeing a Joshua who's there, and Moses goes out, and then he goes, picture this, okay? He's writing the book of Exodus. Moses departed from the tent, and Joshua would still be there. That's his end. But do you want to know what was God's end? As long as Joshua did not depart from the tent, the Lord did not depart from the tent. That's the heart of your God. So God is saying Moses saw only half picture. But as long as this man would stay and linger in my presence, how could I go? How could I leave him? Can I encourage you all to stand? This is still a Christmas message. This is a Christmas message about a God who loves you so dearly, who has done everything that he can so that he can close the gap for you. The Israelites never understood this. They thought that they had to do something. They had to do something to get access to God. And here was a Moses who did nothing. He he said, I'm just going to seek this God. With whatever I have, Jobi Merepas hai sat me is perme. And that was enough for God. So God doesn't need your perfection. Are you listening? Your father doesn't need your perfection. Your father doesn't need your performance. All he is looking for is your desire. And God says, Whatever is your desire is going to be my desire. It's as simple as that. So tell me, what is your desire today? We can close your eyes. I can almost feel the pain of God, you know, when God is. You can close your eyes and keep listening. When God comes to the people and they tell him that, you know, you don't stay in our midst. And God is like, it's okay, let them go back to their tent. Let them go back. And these people, they never left their tent. They were so attached to their tent, to their life, to their life of compromise. They never left their tent. And in that process, they missed God. But there was one Moses whom God looked at and he said, it's okay if he stammers, it's okay if he stutters, it's okay if he does mistakes. All I need him to do is to stay near, stay here. Because the more he stays in proximity with me, I want to reveal my heart to him. I want to use him to do wonders that no eyes have seen nor will ever see. I declare that over you, Lord, over your people, that this will be a generation that is set apart. They will start by setting apart things in their life till they come to a point where they say, I want to set myself apart. Fully. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, with all your mind. And you see what this God will do for you. You see what this God, the manner in which He will raise you. As I'm saying this to you, I'm saying this to myself, and asking forgiveness from God, and I hope you're doing the same. For many times, rushing him, for many times not waiting on him, for many times holding on to my tent door, and yet crying for a breakthrough, and yet questioning and doubting this God. Why are things not working in my life? Why is there no solution? But this morning, as the Lord has surgically removed that filter from our heart, we celebrate the clarity that has come. It is indeed a Merry Christmas. Because as your children, we have received clarity in our vision. The way we look at you, the way we look at you, Father, has changed. You know this word is very pure for me. It's very pure for me. So make sure you are in it. You are in it. Make sure you are in it. Okay. Because the Lord is doing a work. To whoever who's listening, I'm talking to you. The Lord is doing a work in your life. The Lord is doing a work in your life. You may not see it physically happen, but there is a circumcision of your heart that is happening right now. Hallelujah.

SPEAKER_02

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.

SPEAKER_05

Hey people of God, we hope this podcast blessed you. If you like what you heard, you can find more of this great content on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google Podcast, and many other apps. Also, we would love to connect with you. Check out our complete basket of resources on pursuehim.net. Remember, keep pursuing Jesus for what you pursue is what you become.